Recruitment from “Root” (4/5)

"Shibi Aburame! Why are you here?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes and demanded.

"Of course it is Lord Danzō’s order! Could I trouble you to leave for a moment? I need to speak with Genin Allen alone about what comes next." Shibi Aburame replied in a completely emotionless tone.

"Danzō’s order?"

An incredulous expression appeared on Kakashi’s face, and he realized that the outcome he feared most had most likely already happened.

"Yes! And it would be better if you didn’t know about this. Now, can you leave?" Shibi Aburame urged impatiently.

His terrible attitude made it clear that he deeply disliked Kakashi—one could even say he bore some sort of grudge against him.

But it was not hard to understand why!

After the Fourth Hokage died in battle, Danzō had once tried to send people to assassinate the Third Hokage, who was heading to the Daimyo’s residence in the Land of Fire to obtain authorization. In the end, every single one of them had been killed by Kakashi.

To the ninjas of Root, this was an utter humiliation. It had also prevented their superior from ascending to the Hokage position.

Watching the utterly hostile atmosphere between the two, Allen might have thought they were ninjas from entirely different villages if they had not both worn Konoha forehead protectors.

Yet interestingly, not only were they from the same village, but their hostility toward each other was far worse than how they treated ninjas from other villages.

In the end, however, Kakashi chose to stand up and leave on his own.

He knew that without the Third Hokage’s permission, Root’s people could not possibly appear so openly, much less say such things in front of him.

Only after Kakashi had gone completely out of sight did Shibi Aburame toss an intelligence scroll onto the ground and say bluntly, "Take it and have a good look! It will help you see the darkness within the village anew, as well as the true face of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"So I was sold out, right?"

After scanning the contents of the scroll, Allen showed not the slightest anger. Instead, an amused smile appeared on his face.

Because the intelligence made it clear that the Third Hokage had not completely discarded him as a pawn. Rather, he had treated the Stone Ninja ambush as a test, meant to gauge just how far Allen’s strength had progressed.

As for Root, it was merely a tool for delivering intelligence and monitoring the battlefield.

But how could Danzō possibly be content with being used?

He simply seized the opportunity to portray Hiruzen Sarutobi as a selfish old man—weak, yet greedy for power—who was no longer fit to occupy the Hokage position.

"That’s right! You must be furious right now, aren’t you? You made such great contributions to the village, yet all you received in the end was betrayal from the higher-ups. Genin Allen! Konoha’s upper ranks have already completely decayed. Only Root, led by Lord Danzō, is this village’s true future and hope. Come and join us. When the time comes, we’ll help you overcome this crisis."

Shibi Aburame extended an invitation to the boy before him, who looked no older than twelve or thirteen.

As a member of Konoha, he understood the potential of geniuses better than anyone. He also knew that if Danzō wanted to become Hokage, he could never firmly hold that position without sufficiently powerful subordinates.

Allen stroked his chin in thought for a few seconds, then raised his head and asked with a smile, "If I join Root, what benefits can I get?"

"Benefits?"

Shibi Aburame frowned instinctively.

Without question, he disliked this bargaining attitude. At the same time, he could not help recalling another person who had once cooperated closely with Root: the now-defected Orochimaru.

"Yes! I am very interested in the development of ninjutsu, especially forbidden techniques. If Lord Danzō is willing to provide some reference materials, I would be more than happy to serve him." Allen casually stated his condition.

Nonsense!

If he did not make demands now, then when would he?

You must know that Leader was the head of the Root Organization, which possessed the First Hokage’s cells, a large number of Sharingan, and resources related to forbidden techniques.

On top of that, he had been stirring up trouble in the shadows all these years and had even maintained a close cooperative relationship with Orochimaru. Who knew how many interesting things he had in his hands?

As for whether that old man, the Third Hokage, would be angered by this, that had nothing to do with Allen.

He only planned to remain in Konoha until the Chunin Exam ended. Therefore, no matter how the power structure within this ninja village changed, it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"I will convey your request to Lord Danzō. As for whether he agrees, I cannot guarantee it." Shibi Aburame gave a very vague answer.

After all, Danzō was not a good-tempered leader. He had always upheld a cold and ruthless style.

Ordinary Root Organization members could not even question him. The slightest sign of disobedience would see them purged immediately.

"It’s fine. Just pass it along for me. I believe that with Lord Danzō’s magnanimity, he will certainly satisfy my small wish. After all, to those in power, someone with desires is always easier to control than someone without desires, isn’t that right?" Allen completely tore away the persona he usually maintained and revealed his true nature.

The next second!

He directly activated his Nen ability—God’s Alibi—and vanished before Shibi Aburame’s eyes.

Before Shibi Aburame could react to what had happened, he discovered that a kunai was pressed against his jaw. With even the slightest force, it could instantly pierce his brain.

Body Flicker? No! That’s not right! It isn’t Body Flicker! It’s some kind of concealment ninjutsu I’ve never seen before! If it were used for assassination missions…

Within mere seconds, this Root Organization executive, deeply trusted by Danzō, understood that Allen was displaying his strength and value.

"So this is the true way to use that strange bloodline limit of yours?" Shibi Aburame probed meaningfully.

"No! This is only one part of it. Believe me, if Lord Danzō agrees to my conditions, I would not hesitate even if he asked me to assassinate the Hokage. In my view, ninjas accept commissions, carry out missions, and ultimately receive payment. As for who becomes Hokage, I do not care in the slightest. I only hope to obtain research materials that interest me more."

After saying that, Allen put away the kunai and returned to his usual sunny, gentle appearance.

He believed that, given Danzō’s obsession with the Hokage position, he would definitely choose to accept him and might even offer better terms to win him over.

Even if there was to be a reckoning, it would have to wait until after Danzō became Hokage.

By then, it was still uncertain who would kill whom.

"Very good! Remember what you said today. I will return later with Lord Danzō’s orders to visit you again."

After leaving those words behind, Shibi Aburame quickly turned and departed.

Through their brief conversation, he had already clearly realized that Allen was far from as easy to control as he appeared. Rather, he was a dangerous individual highly skilled at concealing his thoughts and strength.

He had not the slightest reverence for authority. Instead, like Orochimaru, he possessed an unimaginable obsession and thirst for ninjutsu and forbidden techniques.

But as for how exactly to handle him, Shibi Aburame had no authority to decide. He had to report it to his superior, Lord Danzō.